Retired police chief steps into new MCPS role: 'Safety cannot be an afterthought'

Retired Montgomery Co. police chief begins new role with MCPS

The recently retired Montgomery County police chief has completed his first three weeks in a new job with the county’s school system. FOX 5's Lili Zheng has the story.

BETHESDA, Md. - The recently retired Montgomery County police chief has completed his first three weeks in a new job with the county’s school system.

Marcus Jones, who retired as MCPD chief in July after nearly four decades with the department, began his new role with Montgomery County Public Schools as the Chief of MCPS Security and Compliance on July 29.

"I feel good. I mean there are some unique challenges that I’m very excited about that are in front of me and this system. I’m excited to be able to take on those challenges," Jones told FOX 5 Wednesday. "What’s interesting is I knew even when I announced I was going to retire, I was going to work somewhere else. It felt like it was a matter of where. It was a matter of when an opportunity presented itself."

Jones first announced his decision to retire in January.

He had been with MCPD for 38 years before moving up the ranks to police chief five years ago. Jones said he believes the skills attained from his time with the police department will transfer well to his new role having oversight of MCPS security, policies, and procedures.

The school system includes more than 200 schools.

"For me, having not only been a partner with MCPS for a very long time, I have also been a parent whose kids went to MCPS and I have had a lot of relationships involving that. All of that seemed to mesh very well," Jones said. "My internal knowledge of process from policing, what can be done versus what can’t be done. I still see sometimes people just…even the average person, even our educators…who may not necessarily know what are the rules of engagement. That’s something I can assist with, if need be."

Jones said his goal is to ensure policies and practices are focused on preventing crises, as opposed to reactionaries. Safety in schools cannot be an afterthought, Jones told FOX 5.

"When I hear from internally, whether it be students or what I heard from staff that they generally don’t feel safe in their school environment, that says to me that we have to work on that. We have to deal with whether it’s perception or reality. We have to address that. That’s something I’m going to work really hard to focus on," he said. "We have to develop a culture that centers around safety. That’s something maybe MCPS has not always done. I’m willing to be a partner in that. This is what I’m coming in at. It’s not my way or the highway. That’s not my role. My role is to be a collaborator and to work with others."

Jones told FOX 5, he had initially intended to retire by November.

Three years ago, he entered the "Deferred Retirement Option Plan," also referred to as DROP.

According to the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, DROP allows participants to "retire," while they continue to work and draw a paycheck with the same employer.

"While in DROP, your retirement benefits are deposited in a DROP account within the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and earn tax-deferred interest of 4% compounded annually for as long as you remain in DROP," the program states.

Jones told FOX 5, he chose to retire months before his initially intended date for both professional and personal reasons.

"When I really reflected late last year, I looked at what MCPD, what we had accomplished during my tenure… I felt like we had done a lot. They’re still doing a lot even as I have walked away, but I will say I felt really content in the accomplishments," he said. "I felt the time was really now. I think I had reached that pinnacle, and I promised my wife that I was only going to do five years as Chief, right? Regardless, even if I leave in November, I just felt like the time was right, to pass the baton, to move on to a new chapter."

Reflecting on his time with MCPD, Jones told FOX 5 Wednesday, he had "no regrets".

"The time I spent there. I miss being in that world, and I knew I would miss it. This is why I think this helps me with these challenges and relationship building," he said.

MOCO Police Chief Marcus Jones retires

Montgomery County Police Chief Marcus Jones is set to retire after 40 yrs on the job.

An area of the school security he said may be worth looking at is the student search policy.

Under the "search and seizure" regulations, authorized school personnel conducting the search of a student’s person, possessions, locker, or assigned personal storage space such as a cubby, will "make a reasonable effort to inform the student prior to the search. A third party of majority age must be present at the time of a search of a student." Police officers may question and/or search students, their possessions, or lockers in accordance with state law.

The regulation goes on to say teachers may conduct a search of students on a school-sponsored trip, but they must be designated in writing by the principal.

Jones said when it comes to "self-searches," students can refuse, but as a whole, it’s case-by-case.

"It’s something we’ll take a look at. I’ll make some suggestions should there be," he said Wednesday. "There’s sort of an interesting crossroads because self-search goes to a certain point. But if there’s a law enforcement dynamic that suggests there may be reasonable suspicion that a student has a weapon – as an example – then a law enforcement officer can be brought in. That CEO (community engagement officer) can be brought in, but only in certain situations."

The new school year for Montgomery County begins next week.